Effect of Bed Thickness on Cauliflower Drying

Hybrid cauliflower (variety no. 71) samples were dried in hot air convective dryer with drying air conditions of 60℃ and 1m/s. The samples were dried for five different drying bed thicknesses (4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 cm). The moisture diffusivity for the samples ranged from 3.39 X 10-9 to 1.53 X 10-9 m2/s. The effect of drying bed thickness on drying time, final moisture content, vitamin C retention, rehydration ratio, browning and overall acceptability of the dried cauliflower was studied and all these parameters were significantly affected by the drying bed thickness. Statistical and sensory analysis revealed that drying bed thickness can be increased up to 8 cm for optimum utilization of the drying conditions.